A well-designed home is the result of a fantastic collaboration between the home owner and the architect. Learn how to brief your architect so that your building plans flow smoothly.

If you are looking to get a new house in your city, trusting architects to handle the furnishings and design plans is an astute choice given their vast experience and solid reputation in the circle.

While these professionals are capable of providing you all the advice you need in terms of building and furnishing a house, there are still certain areas where they will need advice from you.

Knowing what specifications to give to your architects can make their lives and yours much simpler. First and foremost, you should have a basic idea on the way that your house is going to function.

Think carefully about the number of rooms and storeys you want. Not everybody prefers a mansion type of house, with east and west wings spanning a 400 metre corridor.

It is important for you to first decide on these fundamental details so your architect knows what to work with. Once you have your brief in order, think about the type of style you want for your dream home.

There is no real good or bad design style, as aesthetics are subjective on that level. If you have totally no idea on what style to adopt, you can contact your architect for suggestions on the range of different styles to choose from.

There are several different ideas you can consider here, from Georgian, Colonial, and International to Gothic Revival, Tudor, Victorian and the popular Contemporary.

Ask your architect for more information on these styles and then inform him or her once you come to a decision.

Following that decision, next consider the type of flooring you would like. There are so many types of flooring, and some such as hard surfaces are much more durable than soft surfaces such as carpet, and therefore perfect for wet areas and high traffic areas.

Floors vary greatly, but the biggest thing to think about is the function and use of the area, even ahead of design and looks.

While everyone will give parquet points for appearance and style, not many will say the same in terms of maintenance. Unless you have a household helper, taking care of parquet and even marble floors can be a hassle. But of course, each type of flooring has its pros and cons so think about what you are looking for before picking one.